My 2018 Goals | Why I Hate New Years Resolutions

By April

Ok, I don’t hate New Years resolutions (hate is a strong word lol), but I strongly dislike them ha! There seems to be a lot of controversy on New Years Resolutions…do you believe in them? Why? Why not? I am someone who does NOT – here’s why…

Here are some questions that come to my mind when I hear people talk about New Years Resolutions…

Are those resolutions effective?

Are those resolutions realistic?

Are you really being honest with yourself about being able to achieve that resolution? If so, how are you going to get there?

What is your “Why”- why is that particular goal a resolution for you?

How come we NEVER hear about people talking about their resolutions towards the end of the year? lol Serious question though!!

Before I dive too deep – let me clarify that I am NOT against goal setting, having goals for yourself or wanting to make change for the better. Of course I am ALL for that. That is after all, how we improve, better ourselves and our wellbeing, and get outside of our comfort zones to make change. But there’s usually one big problem with New Years Resolutions – no one ever sticks to them. Why is this?!?!?

Think of the last time you made a New Years Resolution for yourself. What was it about? Whatever it was – did you…

Want the change/improvement bad enough?

Give yourself enough time and resources to get there?

Have a timeline when you wanted to accomplish XYZ?

Think about if this is truly realistic for yourself?

For most, the new year is about bringing change to their lives, living a better, stronger and happier life. I think we can all agree that most people also have their New Years resolutions revolved around losing weight and/or getting healthier, am I right? Here’s the problem with those statements…if you’ve ever told yourself the night of December 31st “I want to lose weight this next year” “I want to be stronger” “I want to eat healthier” “I want to start running” – all of these statements lack the outlines of a SMART GOAL (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound). Most of us give up on our resolutions because we want that goal too quick (by not being realistic) and we don’t have a plan for when, why and how we’re going to get there.

Instead, it’s a great idea to just start small and start setting small, attainable, “mini goals” for yourself. Write those mini goals down and write them in a way that reflects the SMART goal model – I promise you those goals will not only be more attainable, but you’ll continue to feel motivated by them because you’ll actually reach those goals! 🙂 Here’s a quick snapshot at my 2018 goals!